City Traders Imperium vs Topstep: which prop firm is better in 2026?
On the 33 criteria we compare, City Traders Imperium comes out ahead (10 against 8). Topstep stays relevant for traders whose priorities differ from the average.
City Traders Imperium
Forex / CFD · Trustpilot 4.2/5
City Traders Imperium has funded forex traders since 2018 through four routes — 1-Step, 2-Step, Instant Funding and Direct Funding — with no time limit and entry from $29. The profit split starts at 80% and can reach 100%, but the 1-Step allows only 5% trailing drawdown and every trade must carry a stop loss.
Criteria won : 10 / 33
Topstep
Futures · Trustpilot 3.6/5
Founded in Chicago in 2012, Topstep is the oldest futures prop firm. It charges a monthly subscription rather than a one-off ticket, with a 6 % target and a trailing drawdown that locks once the starting balance is cleared. Its 90 % profit split and first withdrawal after five winning days are among the best in the segment.
Criteria won : 8 / 33
Pricing at equal account size
Cheapest evaluation for a 100 K account.
City Traders Imperium
$449
Topstep
$99
Full comparison
| Criterion | City Traders Imperium | Topstep |
|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Trustpilot | 4.2/5 ✓ | 3.6/5 |
| Founded | 2018 | 2012 ✓ |
| Headquarters | GB | US |
| Pricing | ||
| Entry price | $29 ✓ | $49 |
| Price for a 100 K account | $449 | $99 ✓ |
| Refundable fee | — | No |
| Reset price | — | — |
| Account sizes | 100 K | 150 K ✓ |
| Rules | ||
| Steps | Instant funding ✓ | 1 |
| Profit target | — | 6 % |
| Max daily loss | — | — |
| Max total drawdown | 6 % ✓ | 4 % |
| Drawdown type | Trailing intraday | Trailing (end of day) ✓ |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Consistency rule | No ✓ | 50 |
| Min trading days | 5 | 2 ✓ |
| Payouts | ||
| Profit split | 80 % | 90 % ✓ |
| Max profit split | 100 % ✓ | 90 % |
| First payout | 7 days | 5 days ✓ |
| Payout frequency | Mensuel au niveau 1, bi-mensuel au niveau 2, hebdomadaire au niveau 3 ; premier retrait possible apres 7 jours | Sur demande : Express Funded Standard après 5 journées gagnantes à 150 $+ ; Express Funded Consistency après 3 journées de trading avec cible de consistance 40 % |
| Payout methods | — | wise and bank |
| Scaling plan | Yes | Yes |
| Max allocation | 2 M ✓ | 150 K |
| Trading | ||
| Platforms and instruments | mt5, match-trader | ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic ✓ |
| Instruments | fx, indices, metals, energy, stocks ✓ | futures |
| Leverage | 1:30 forex et indices sur le 2-Step, 1:20 sur l'Instant Funding, 1:10 indices et matieres premieres, 1:2 crypto | — |
| News trading | Yes | — |
| Weekend holding | Yes ✓ | No |
| Expert Advisors | Yes | — |
| Copy trading | Restricted | — |
| Scalping | Yes | — |
| Hedging | — | — |
Choose City Traders Imperium if…
- You expect to stay funded long enough for the split to matter: 100 % against 90 % at Topstep.
- Your results concentrate on a few strong sessions: no consistency rule caps a single day's share of total profit.
- You would rather skip the evaluation entirely and start on a funded account.
- You need a platform Topstep does not offer: mt5, match-trader.
Choose Topstep if…
- Cash flow matters to you: the first withdrawal comes after 5 days rather than 7.
- You need a platform City Traders Imperium does not offer: ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic.
Our analysis
The price question
City Traders Imperium opens at $29 against $49 for Topstep, a substantial gap on the smallest account. At the reference size of 100 K the comparison is $449 for City Traders Imperium against $99 for Topstep. The headline fee is rarely the real cost, though: what matters is the price of a reset after a failed attempt, whether the fee comes back on the first payout, and whether an activation fee appears when you move to a funded account. Compare those three lines in the table above before deciding on price alone.
How the loss limit behaves
City Traders Imperium applies a trailing intraday drawdown capped at 6 %. Topstep applies a trailing (end of day) drawdown capped at 4 %. This is the single most consequential difference between the two. A static drawdown is measured once, from the starting balance, and never moves; a trailing drawdown follows your equity upward, so a winning streak raises the floor you can no longer fall below. Intraday trailing is stricter still, because it tracks unrealised peaks reached inside the session — profit you never actually banked can permanently raise your loss threshold.
Getting paid
City Traders Imperium keeps 100 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 7 days, then pays Mensuel au niveau 1, bi-mensuel au niveau 2, hebdomadaire au niveau 3 ; premier retrait possible apres 7 jours. Topstep keeps 90 % of profits, allows a first withdrawal after 5 days, then pays Sur demande : Express Funded Standard après 5 journées gagnantes à 150 $+ ; Express Funded Consistency après 3 journées de trading avec cible de consistance 40 %. Payout frequency deserves as much attention as the split itself: a slightly lower share paid every two weeks compounds faster than a headline percentage locked behind a monthly cycle and a long first-withdrawal delay.
Tooling differences
City Traders Imperium is the only one of the two to offer mt5, match-trader. Topstep covers ninjatrader, tradovate, rithmic, which its rival does not. Platform choice is not cosmetic: order execution, available order types and the reliability of your automation all depend on it, and switching mid-evaluation is rarely possible.
How much history each firm has
Topstep has been running since 2012, 6 years longer than City Traders Imperium. On Trustpilot they sit at 4.2/5 and 3.6/5 respectively. Our trust pillar scores them 85/100 and 80/100, which weighs age, corporate transparency and public payout evidence. In an industry with no financial regulator overseeing these evaluations, longevity and a verifiable payout history are the closest thing to a guarantee.